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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26906917">Dark of the Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ammyamarant/pseuds/ammyamarant'>ammyamarant</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Night and the Day [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Homestuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, F/F, Illustrations, M/M, Psychic Abilities, Suicidal Thoughts, Vampire Hunters, Vampirestuck, halloween fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:47:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,403</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26906917</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ammyamarant/pseuds/ammyamarant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just having to deal with knowing there was a vampire in his family tree would be bad enough.</p>
<p>Just trying to navigate the world without an elder to shield her would be bad enough.</p>
<p>But All Hallow's Eve was rapidly approaching. And that never meant anything good.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Feferi Peixes/Vriska Serket</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Night and the Day [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1963237</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Day 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>What better time for a spooky fic than spooky season? This time I'm going to post the art I make for this when I actually post the chapters instead of going back and editing it in later.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Come on! You have to."</p><p>"No I fucking do not! That is the most cliche thing ever and the stupidest idea you've ever had. Do you hear yourself, John? That is the worst idea you've had, and I've heard about your pranks! Why do you even have that idea? I don't even like dressing up for Halloween, and I'm not about to do so now."</p><p>"I have fake blood and everything for it."</p><p>"I don't care what you fucking have! I am not dressing up for Halloween and that's that. And don't even try, Jade. I'm not going to dress up, period. End here. Done."</p><p>"But you'd look so cute in a cape and tux!"</p><p>"I'M NOT DRESSING UP AS A VAMPIRE HOLY FUCK." Karkat slapped both hands over his face, trying to ignore the twins and failing desperately. Maybe if he managed to merge with the couch they'd leave him alone. "Jade, don't you have something to do? Other than antagonize me over dressing up as a fucking vampire for Halloween? Which, by the way, is a terrible idea, and cliche as fuck considering I <i>am</i> basically a vampire?" He lowered his hands to glare at them, trying to will his eyes to turn red. The few times they had turned red, it had managed to stop both of them long enough for him to either change the subject or leave.</p><p>Jade just grinned, bouncing a little on the couch while John said, "That's why it's brilliant! It's not like anyone is going to believe you're <i>actually</i> a vampire, so you can go out and do things and no one will ask about your eyes or skin or anything. They'll just think it's contacts and makeup!"</p><p>"I don't go anywhere," he told them. What did it take for his eyes to go red and shut them up for a few seconds? "Why is this so hard to understand? I am not dressing up as a vampire! For anything!"</p><p>Maybe it was just time to leave before John and Jade actually managed to talk him into doing it. They were a little too good at being able to get around his walls and drag him into their schemes. Which… if he believed the Striders, made some sense considering vampire psychology and the whole friends thing. He was trying very hard not to think about the Striders and the week (more or less) he spent with them, waiting to see if he would turn into an uncontrollable monster.</p><p>Which turned out pretty hilarious when Karkat had ranted about a certain ancestor and it turned out that yeah, Kankri Vantas was also a vampire.</p><p>He still wasn't completely sure how he felt about that.</p><p>Hell, in general he didn't know what to think about the whole vampire thing. The smart thing would have been to ask the Striders for help. He knew at least Dirk had been reaching out to him about it. A part of him wondered why Dave hadn't tried, and if maybe he should try to ask him… before the rest of him remembered the fact he was in this weird fucking state of 'vampire…?' was because he apparently got really horny and bit him.</p><p>That was another thing he wasn't sure how to feel about. Yeah, it had felt fucking incredible, but at the same time that was a really weird way of finding out that the flirting actually meant he had the hots for him. And he had been 'human' long enough to be pretty uncomfortable with how that went down.</p><p>"Hey." Oh, Jade suddenly standing, leaning up in his face. And smelling good. Not just her soap, but something that was uniquely Jade. And blood. Of course blood. "You okay there?"</p><p>"Yeah. I'm fine. Just ignoring you idiots and your fucking stupid ideas."</p><p>She frowned, shaking her head. "No, you're hungry. Right? You look even paler than normal and the bags under your eyes look like bruises now."</p><p>Karkat rolled his eyes. "Then get me a sandwich. I still eat real food, remember?"</p><p>"But you haven't had any blood in a while," she said, almost triumphantly. "So you have to be hungry for blood!"</p><p>"Oh my god Jade I don't need blood. I'm fine without it."</p><p>She gave him a look that said she did not believe a single part of that, and she did not even need to look at John to make a point. He didn't even need to look over at him to remember the vicious bite and the heavenly taste of blood on his tongue. Jade thrust her wrist out, shaking it a little when he just glared at her. "I told you no starving yourself for a dumb reason!"</p><p>"I'm not starving myself!"</p><p>"So when was the last time you had blood."</p><p>John. "You know what, I don't need to hear-"</p><p>Jade shoved her wrist under his nose, flooding his senses with the smell of her blood pulsing under her skin.</p><p>That was enough. Something cracked inside him and he snarled, grabbing her wrist. He ignored the yelp she made at the crushing grip, and paid no attention to the pained gasp she let out when he bit down. Blood filled his mouth, just as perfect as John's. He could feel it dripping through his fingers, down her arm, and it didn't matter. It was good. It was everything.</p><p>And then he snapped his head up, horror filling every part of him. He could <i>feel Jade's blood</i>. The bite, ragged and deep, still pulsed with blood. "Fuck!" Karkat scrambled to find something to press against the bite. "That's- you need to go to the hospital. That's too much blood. You're bleeding too much. Damn it, Jade, I shouldn't have bitten you at all. Fuck!"</p><p>"Hey." Jade didn't sound exactly… good, but she was still smiling when he looked up at her. "It's not that bad. I'll clean it up and just slap some gauze over it."</p><p>"It's not that- look at all the blood!"</p><p>Jade shook her head, heading to the kitchen. "I saw how fast John's bite healed. This isn't going to be different!" Karkat heard her turn on the faucet, and after a bit turn it off and come back, grinning. "See? It's already stopped bleeding!"</p><p>
  <i>"Yeah. It heals. Not that fast."</i>
</p><p>Karkat didn't look at her as she let John help her bind the wound.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>Vriska studied her nails, noticing how one was growing a little off. She lifted it to her mouth, trying to see if she could even it out with her teeth. If only one of her arms wasn't still useless, she thought. Sucked that it took so much time and blood to heal shit like her arm and eye. It'd probably take a good month of hunting to even get close. She rolled her remaining eye, annoyed. A whole month of this shit.</p><p>And she couldn't hunt during the day. In this state, the sunlight rendered her near catatonic. She might have been able to get someone at that stupid goth club, but that meant she'd have to get out there and that wasn't easy right now. Not… with what killing an elder could mean. The humans were the least of her worry, despite knowing they'd be looking for her since her mother was 'missing.' No… her mother had been keeping her safe, despite her machinations.</p><p>And there were scarier things out there.</p><p>Vriska studied her nails again, annoyed how now it was lopsided in a different way.</p><p>Fuck this. She was going out. There had to be someone she could 'chat' with and leave with less blood they started with nearby. She'd be back before Feferi finished feeding her mom.</p><p>For all she thought about her own mother, she didn't envy Feferi's arrangement. Not with what she had to do just to make <i>She</i> didn't find her heir and just upright murder her. If she was lucky. She'd heard about how <i>She</i> had ripped other heirs apart, and didn't let them die until they were spread across the landscape. Feferi's relationship with Meenah might be a bit better than the one she had with her own mother, but unlike the one she had, not fulfilling it actually had really bad consequences.</p><p>Vriska muttered to herself as she wriggled herself into a jacket. She didn't need one, but she had seen humans wearing them so it had to be time to do so. That was fine with her. She just needed to wear it long enough to hunt.</p><p>It would be too soon for anything to really happen anyway.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>A new landscape. Boxes of green with houses marking each one. Vehicles passed by, casting shadows as they went.</p><p>She watched them all, taking in the landscape.</p><p>Humans walked past her, chattering happily and passing something small between them to laugh at something it held. Something about cats. They moved on, caught up in their own little bubble. Another vehicle drove by, slowing and turning next to her. A human exited, walking haltingly towards the house. Maybe intoxicated. Maybe just injured.</p><p>Another vehicle, turning in to the box next to her. The human exited that car, then stopped. Didn't move further. She looked over, seeing a male staring, mouth half open.</p><p>At her?</p><p>She smiled slightly.</p><p>
  
</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p><span class="john">ectoBiologist [EB]</span> <span class="pesterlog">began pestering</span> <span class="dave">turntechGodhead [TG]</span></p><p><span class="john">EB: are ghosts real?</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: dude what</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: first time in forever and youre bugging me about ghosts?</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: why do you want to know about ghosts</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: i think i just saw a vampire ghost</span></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"A vampire ghost?" Dirk quirked an eyebrow as he looked over the couch, curious. "That's what he said?"</p>
<p>"Yeah. He didn't get a really good look at her before she disappeared, but he said she had fangs." Dave lazily tossed his phone from hand to hand. "Didn't think we could be ghosts. Thought that was only humans."</p>
<p>"Anything can be a trapped spirit," Dirk reminded him. "Remember the crow?"</p>
<p>Dave's hands stopped. "Well, yeah. Shittiest week of that decade." He came over to Dirk, throwing himself down next to him. "There are a fuckton of our kind he could have seen, though. And it's pretty impressive he saw her at all."</p>
<p>"Think he's psychic?"</p>
<p>He shrugged. "We've seen perfectly normal humans come screaming down halls after seeing a ghost. Doesn't mean he couldn't be psychic, but seeing a ghost means jack and shit in that department."</p>
<p>It usually didn't matter anyway. It took acknowledgement and practice to make psychics more than a novelty. Rose was one the rare ones that actively practiced her seer powers. If John was psychic, well. It wouldn't really be much more than a new thing to learn about him. Though, Dirk could see the idea was bothering Dave, to not know everything about his friend. His shoulders were set just a little off as he sat back.</p>
<p>"You didn't have to cut yourself off from John."</p>
<p>"Dude." Dave stared at him, eyebrows high over his glasses. "What the fuck?"</p>
<p>"I told you not to get obsessed with Karkat. That doesn't mean shove John away."</p>
<p>"In case you haven't noticed, the two of them kind of live together. Little hard to avoid Karkat to hang out with John. And I don't think I asked you for your input there."</p>
<p>More than that, he had seen how Dave had reacted when John had messaged him. He was pretty certain that was the first time John had reached out to him. Little wonder that Dave nearly spat the last few words at him, a growl on the edge of his voice. Dirk raised his hands, willing to drop the subject.</p>
<p>Dave sighed, and Dirk could see his shoulders set differently as he looked away. "I'm trying to forget about him," he told Dirk. "If we were still friends, I don't think I could try to stay away from Karkat. Everything about him is just- you know how you smell someone and they're so good and you really like the banter and all that?"</p>
<p>Yeah. He knew. "You know how it ends."</p>
<p>Another shoulder shift.</p>
<p>"Yeah."</p>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Feferi hummed to herself as she brushed her hair, working out all the knots from her swim. A hand wrapped around her wrist, and she turned, grinning up at Vriska. "Welcome back. Did you have a good hunt?"</p>
<p>Vriska grinned back, the piercings in her lips flashing. "Of course. She didn't know what hit her. And it's close enough to dawn she probably just thought she blanked out while going home."</p>
<p>A giggle escaped Feferi as she leaned forward, giving Vriska a kiss and tasting the blood there. "Ooh, she was sweet."</p>
<p>Smugness crossed Vriska's face. "I should have brought her home. We could have had her together. She was much sweeter than you think."</p>
<p>Feferi tilted her head, thinking. "I don't want to have to kill excess humans if I don't have to. Your mom proved they'll be missed, and that's not something I want to have to cover up. I'll hunt later."</p>
<p>"Boooooooo. Fine." Vriska took the brush from Feferi, awkwardly starting to brush out the tangles. "You have too much hair."</p>
<p>Even though it tugged a bit more than she liked, Feferi still leaned into the strokes. It was nice having someone else brush her hair. It was nice in general having someone else take care of her. It made something warm grow in her chest, and when she leaned back against her, she could feel Vriska make a pleased noise.</p>
<p>"You look good like this."</p>
<p>Feferi smiled, looking up at Vriska. "You too."</p>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>He knew what those marks meant. Though they healed fast, he knew a vampire's bite when he saw one. So he was right. There was a nest nearby. And they were bold too. So close to the light of day? He knew those monsters preferred the dark, shadows to hide their dastardly deeds and blood stained fangs. One hand came up to trace the barely there scar on his own neck, remembering how it felt to have his throat near ripped out by one of those monsters.</p>
<p>But now, he had to get this poor lady home. She must have been ambushed on her way home. If only the mythology had gotten crucifixes and garlic correct, he would have left her with one in case the monster that first attacked her came back. The most he could do was to provide her some holy water, and even then it would only be of use if the ghouls ingested it.</p>
<p>It had taken him a while to find a proper nest. They were too practiced in hiding themselves. But there were hints if one were to look. The poor and destitute, the homeless, the ones no one would miss going missing at a higher rate.</p>
<p>Which made this the most odd! This lass was not poor nor destitute. She looked quite well off. The vampires must have been left alone here for too long, then, that they were attacking those who would be missed.</p>
<p>Or perhaps… a nest of younglings without an elder to guide them?</p>
<p>That would be the best outcome. The young were much easier to kill.</p>
<p>"I say, you look like you've taken quite the tumble there, miss!"</p>
<p>Get this poor lass home. Then hunt down every last one of those damnable monsters.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>And that was another interview bombed. Karkat groaned, leaning his head against the headrest. He just didn't have the fucking personality for this shit. People didn't want a little shouty asshole to represent their company. Something reminded him that even though John and Jade were always telling him it was okay he could stay until he was back on his feet, they could take that back at any moment. And with his new vampirism…</p>
<p>He shook his head and started his car, frowning as it made a new noise. That wasn't good. He was used to the usual coughing and spitting of the engine, but that grinding was brand new. "You better not fucking give out on me," he warned it. He needed his car to get him to useless job interviews.</p>
<p>A job. One that lasted more than two weeks. He could start to get enough money together to move out. Or, at least, to start fucking contributing. The twins had things pretty well set up for two of them, but he knew they also had to feed him now and yeah, that was money down the drain.</p>
<p>Or Jade could offer her wrist again and save on food…</p>
<p>Karkat groaned. "Can I just stop fucking think about that for one second? That would be fantastic, self, if I could just go through the day without thinking about the whole bullshit I'm going through now. That'd be great. I don't need to think about the whole vampire thing every moment I'm fucking awake."</p>
<p>Fuck. Why hadn't he known anything about this? Wouldn't that have been something his family would have noticed?</p>
<p>Then again… Karkat swallowed. He kind of… didn't really have family to ask. Not anymore.</p>
<p>"Augh." He shook his head. "Whatever."</p>
<p>He didn't even know what the hell he was supposed to do now. As a vampire. He had no idea what anything meant, and how to navigate any of this. And fuck everything if he had to go to Vriska or the Striders for any questions. Yeah, the Striders would probably be more than happy to explain things now that the fucking cat was out of the bag, but holy shit did he want to kill Vriska for what she did.</p>
<p>Huh. When was the last time anyone saw Vriska? She probably got killed trying to kill her mom, Karkat figured, if what that one vampire girl told John was true and they were going to kill her. That honestly was no big loss to him. She had tried to feed him to her mom.</p>
<p>Though… if he hadn't thrown up all that blood, what would have happened? He had been starting to drift to sleep before Dave made him throw up with… whatever he had. Would he have died like Dave said he would? Or would that have kicked off his new vampirism even harder?</p>
<p>"Fuck." He hit the back of his head against the headrest, growling.</p>
<p>The thoughts kept with him as he made his way home.</p>
<p>And of course when he got home he was treated to chaos as John lifted the cushions on the couch probably for the fifth time already today. "Hey, Karkat! Have you seen my keys?"</p>
<p>Karkat rolled his eyes. "Have you tried your pocket?"</p>
<p>"Ha ha! Not there. I can't find them at all, and Jade isn't home yet."</p>
<p>"I haven't seen them. They're probably in that place only Jade can get to or something."</p>
<p>"Yeah, probably. She's always pranking me like that!"</p>
<p>Karkat snorted, toeing off his shoes and going to the kitchen for some water. He was actually thirsty, and not for blood. He wanted some goddamn water.</p>
<p>Jade was ridiculously good at finding things she'd seen before. John would find his keys once his derp twin got home. If he was a little late to whatever bullshit he was going to, he was a little late.</p>
<p>"Hey, uh… are you…?" Karkat looked over as John lifted his wrist, shaking the sleeve up slightly.</p>
<p>"Oh my fucking god! Can I just drink some fucking water? You know I still need things like water, right?" Karkat grabbed a glass and made a point of filling it up and drinking it. "See?" he said once he was done. "Water. What I needed."</p>
<p>"I just… don't know how often you need blood. And I don't know if I should ask Dave since-"</p>
<p>Karkat put the glass down so he could slap both hands over his face. "Please stop fucking talking about this. I'll let you know when, okay? Just don't fucking shove bits of yourself in my face for me to bite."</p>
<p>"You've been a lot crabbier than normal," John said. "I mean, you've been through a lot, but we don't know if that hungry crabby or something else. So we're… just trying to make sure you aren't hungry. We don't know what to do other than try to help."</p>
<p>Karkat lowered his hands, glaring at him. Then, he shook his head. He didn't know either.</p>
<p>The Striders would.</p>
<p>Dave would.</p>
<p>"I'm going to bed."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Day 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So, uh-" How did someone talk to a ghost? John felt silly as he started walking towards the translucent girl. "Is this some kind of Halloween thing?"</p>
<p>The girl turned slightly to him, her tiny fangs barely seen against the red of her lips. "Halloween?" she asked, nothing flavouring her voice other than the indication the word was a question.</p>
<p>John shivered. It almost sounded like the empty wordless moaning of wind, except more eerie and actually a word. "Yeah. Halloween's coming up at the end of the month. And people say spooky things like seeing ghosts and things like that are more common then. Is that why you're here? Because of whatever Halloween is?"</p>
<p>She tilted her head, as if thinking. "Yes."</p>
<p>"Oh. Well." That was easier than he expected. "So are you going to get more, uh, not see through when it's Halloween?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>This was such an awkward conversation. "So. Are you going to disappear soon? Again? And can anyone else see you?"</p>
<p>"I will disappear when I disappear." Unlike how John usually heard it, the sentence sounded simple, a statement, instead of snippy from accidentally hitting a nerve. "I do not know if others can see me. As All Hallow's Eve approaches, more may be able to see me."</p>
<p>"Huh." John rubbed the back of his head, looking down. "So does it look like I'm talking to nothing to everyone else?"</p>
<p>No answer. When he looked up, the girl had disappeared. He let out a long breath, heading inside. "Hey, I'm home."</p>
<p>"Hey." Jade lifted her head from the couch's arm rest, blinking at him. "Did you see the pretty ghost again?"</p>
<p>"Aw man, did you fall asleep on the couch again, Jade?" He pushed the second question aside as he came over to the couch, helping her sit up, mindful of the keys still in his hand. "You really should go back to the doctor."</p>
<p>She waved her hand, already becoming more awake and aware. "I was actually tired, dummy! I wanted to stay up to see if you saw her again but it was a long day. And I asked you a question. Did you see the pretty ghost girl?"</p>
<p>John nodded, the worry still heavy in his heart. She had grown out of the coloured bands on her fingers, and he thought she had also grown out of her random sleep spells. Whenever he saw he sleeping in a strange place, or not in her bed- "Yeah. I asked her a few questions before she disappeared again. Maybe you'll get to see her soon."</p>
<p>"So what's her name?"</p>
<p>"Uh."</p>
<p>Jade swatted his shoulder. "Next time ask her what her name is!  And I wish I could see her. She sounds so pretty."</p>
<p>"Yeah." John sat next to her, yawning. "Come on. Let's get both of us to bed. Is Karkat still up?"</p>
<p>She shrugged. "He was yelling at some game or something last I knew. I think he might have passed out already." She hesitated her, then- "John?"</p>
<p>"Yeah?"</p>
<p>"Can you go check up on Karkat?"</p>
<p>There was a tone in her voice that made him nod and help her to her feet. Once he was sure Jade was awake enough to make it upstairs on her own, he ran up the stairs. Karkat had to be asleep, since he didn't yell about the noise. But that probably wasn't why Jade said that. She had that voice when she asked that. John pushed the door to Karkat's room open a little more, dropping his keys on the table as he walked over to his other roommate. He was sleeping, just like Jade thought, and he let out a long breath.</p>
<p>He was so pale now. There was still some flush of colour to his skin, something more 'alive' than the Striders, but he almost looked sick. John frowned, pressing the back of his hand against Karkat's forehead, wondering if that was why Jade was worried. He did feel a little warm, but-</p>
<p>Was that a fever for a vampire?</p>
<p>John shook his head, fishing his phone out of his pocket. He knew Dave would answer questions. At the same time, though, Dave was very much not talking to him. He didn't know why or what it meant, but if it meant he didn't want to be friends with him anymore…</p>
<p>This was the weirdest reason to be friend-dumped, John thought, putting the phone back in his pocket.</p>
<p>Then paused, fishing it back out as he left.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p><span class="john">ectoBiologist [EB]</span> <span class="pesterlog">began pestering</span> <span class="dirk">timaeusTestified [TT]</span></p>
<p><span class="john">EB: so i know this is a really weird thing to ask, but do vampires get sick?</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Hello to you too, John. Why are you asking? Is something wrong with Karkat?</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: maybe? i don't know. jade asked me to check up on him and he looks kinda human sick.</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Jade asked you, huh?</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: yeah.</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: I see. We can get sick, but it's usually not human illnesses. We have a different immune system. Things that make us sick usually don't get humans sick. Though, I'd be pretty certain that</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Hold on.</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: uh what's going on?</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: do i need to be worried?</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: No. It's just work. Like I was saying, I'd be pretty certain that Karkat might also be able to get sick from human illnesses. Have you ever seen him ill before all of this?</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: work? you work?</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Focus, John.</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: yeah, he's been sick before. all three of us had a really bad cold a few months back.</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Hm. Keep an eye on him. If he gets any worse, let me know.</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: can do.</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: karkat's going to be okay, right?</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT:</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: dirk?</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT:</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: is it work again?</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Be careful.</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: why?</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Just be careful.</span><br/>
<span class="john">EB: okay.</span><br/>

</p><p>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>"For the thousandth fucking time this hour alone, I'm fine! Holy shit, I don't think you've ever seen babied me so much and I puked on your fucking shoes once. I'm fine, thank you for not asking yet again because I see that fucking mouth opening again!" Karkat put the coffee pot back, scowling as he felt the mug. "Holy shit assholes, how hard it is to keep the warmer on so your roommate doesn't have the most disgusting cold coffee in the world?"</p>
<p>John just closed his mouth again.</p>
<p>Karkat took a sip of the coffee, grimacing. It tasted terrible but he needed the caffeine. And to eat something. Had to have energy for a full day of being a useless lump of human… vampire? Person.</p>
<p>Sometimes he wondered how anyone dealt with him and why these two twins decided to be his friend.</p>
<p>He jumped slightly as John's finger came dangerously close to his nose. "You have that look on your face again. Do Jade and I have to tell you that you're awesome again and how happy we are that you're our friend?"</p>
<p>Karkat rolled his eyes. "I think I got the message the last time Jade tackled me and wouldn't let me go until I laughed."</p>
<p>"Good, because you're a great friend."</p>
<p>He rolled his eyes again, taking another sip.</p>
<p>"You know, your eyes are really cool now," John told him. "Even when they're red. They were this really neat colour of blue-grey before, but now that they're actually grey they're really cool."</p>
<p>And that was enough of that. He was not in the mood to be reminded of how his features had changed. "Yeah, fuck that. You can just shut up about that shit." Karkat opened the fridge, snagging an apple. "Being reminded I'm not exactly human anymore is definitely something I needed to hear."</p>
<p>Without waiting, he stomped back up the stairs. That was enough. He plunked his mug down on the table, noticing that John had left his keys there for some reason. Whatever. He sat down, ready to ignore everything until it was time to sleep. Because he wasn't going to get a callback.</p>
<p>He knew Jade and John loved him dearly but honestly, he didn't know why. There was probably something about these feelings and everything but he didn't care.</p>
<p>After a while he stood, grabbing his mug and started back downstairs. Enough of this ass coffee. He'd get some pop instead. On the way down, however, he noticed John, yet again, tearing up the downstairs looking for his keys, Jade wrist deep in the junk drawer. Karkat rolled his eyes, ready to tell him they were in his room, when Jade went "Ah ha!" and proceeded to…</p>
<p>Pull John's keys out from the junk drawer.</p>
<p>"Man, why were they there?" John complained as Karkat swallowed hard.</p>
<p>Jade was ridiculously good at finding things.</p>
<p>Fuck.</p>
<p>"You mean 'thank you Jade and I'll bring you those cookies you like'," Jade said, grinning as she pulled the keys out of his reach.</p>
<p>Karkat absconded back upstairs, looking over to where the keys had been, only to see an empty spot on his table.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Day 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three hours down the drain. Dirk groaned, leaning back in his chair. Now he understood the concept of rubber duck debugging. If he had just talked himself through the code, he wouldn't have spent the last three hours trying to find where it was going wrong. And now it was getting too close to dawn to even think about going out and giving a hot guy a wild night. Even then- Dirk frowned, shaking his head. Blood was enough for him.</p><p>He wasn't getting old enough to be considered an elder. He couldn't.</p><p>It didn't matter if he had basically been an elder to Dave for centuries. He had kept him safe, taught him how to eat safely, how to fight, how to live in a world of humans and not fall to the despair they were prone to. Dirk stared at the computer screen for a moment, trying to ignore the gnawing in his gut. He didn't need to add a weird diet to Dave's problems. He had already put too much on him.</p><p>Dirk closed his eyes. If he was getting to that point, he was just going to fucking decapitate himself. He had already fucked up enough. He wasn't going to subject Dave to that. And going to ground… an eternity with nothing but his thoughts and an ever growing hunger. That was even assuming anyone who went to ground was still alive.</p><p>Absently, he checked his phone. Work related messages, something from Dave saying he was going to be out late, and nothing from Jade. That was a good sign. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Karkat was actually sick. This entire thing was already so out of his depth. What he really wanted was to keep an eye on Karkat and have him over so he could see what was going on and-</p><p>No. He knew what laid behind that madness. He had nearly let himself fall into that again when he wouldn't let Karkat go. Keep an eye on him. But he remembered the last time, the spat words of controlling and overbearing and hate, and then the rip of flesh under his teeth-</p><p>Just another thing to add to the pile of fuck ups. It nestled nicely next to 'let a hungry Dave and uncertain fate Karkat stay home together.'</p><p>Dirk stood, stretching as he turned. Maybe he could still give some random hot guy a good night and eat something. There had to be someone kicked out of their residence because they made their partner mad or something. It wouldn't be the first time he had brought someone home for this.</p><p>It wasn't exactly cold enough for him to need a jacket, but he had checked the weather and this was usually when humans wore them, so on it went. A quick pat down to make sure he had his phone and keys, and he was off.</p><p>Early on it was obvious this was a lost endeavour. It was too close to dawn for people to randomly be wandering around. If there were, they would be incredibly tired from an overnight shift, drunk and/or drugged, or homeless. He wasn't going to deal with any of those.</p><p>Honestly, it was just nice to get out of the apartment. He could still smell Karkat's blood and… he wasn't sure how he felt about that.</p><p>Someone was in front of him and wasn't moving. Dirk absently moved to walk around them, still thinking about his options, then stopped, looking up-</p><p>And through-</p><p>"Aradia?"</p><p>She didn't look like how she did when she died. Her hair wasn't on fire. She didn't have blood and mud smeared on her. But she was right in front of him, her tiny fangs barely seen over the red of her lips. "Dirk."</p><p>He shuddered. He had forgotten what it was like to talk to a ghost. "Haven't seen you for a while. The Great War, I think. What are you doing here?"</p><p>"Death is strong here. An elder has passed and the one left behind is careless."</p><p>An elder. "Aranea Serket." Then, Dirk jolted forward, trying to grab her shoulders and only going through her. "You're here because of Vriska. There are other places with a higher death rate than here. You're here because she's here."</p><p>"I have no control over where my spirit goes."</p><p>"Don't bullshit me, Megido."</p><p>"I have no control over where my spirit goes," Aradia repeated, voice still flat and colourless. "If I am drawn to Vriska's side so close to All Hallow's Eve, then I am drawn here."</p><p>She sounded so fatalistic, as if everything that had happened to her was supposed to happen. "Except that's not true." He knew he was getting a few looks talking to thin air like this, but Aradia… "You're who John has been seeing. Damn it, Megido. What are you planning with him?"</p><p>Between one blink and the next, her form disappeared. Dirk fished his phone out immediately, scrolling to find John. He needed to call him. He needed to make sure John knew as soon as possible he might be in danger, and not risk seeing the message too late.</p><p>The call went to voice mail.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>"FUCK!"</p><p>Karkat smacked the steering wheel, as if that would make his now completely broken shitheap actually sputter back to life. He groaned, looking up at the sky. Because he needed that now. Of course. For his car not to work. One more groan, and he started getting out, maybe slamming the door a little harder than he should have.</p><p>At least he had pulled into a parking lot as soon as he felt it start to die on him. The city could impound his car for all he cared. Get that thing out of his sight. Except there was shit in the glove box he needed.</p><p>Karkat groaned again. He'd need to get it towed back to the house, and that wasn't money he had.</p><p>The sound of his door slamming had caught the attention of at least one nosy asshole. "I say there, dear chap! Whatever did this poor vehicle do to you?"</p><p>Karkat turned, giving the guy a sharp glare. "Oh yes, I really need to have someone telling me how to treat this traitorous heap of junk! Thank you so much for giving me tips on how to deal with this piece of shit I call a car." He rolled his eyes, rubbing his arms a little. Should have remembered a jacket. "And it's perfect to hear that as if it'll let me drive it again so I don't have to walk home. You know, fuck off, and fuck that horse you rode in on."</p><p>Before waiting for an answer, he stormed off. The fact he could have possibly messaged Jade to pick him up did rear its ugly head, reminding him that today was her day off and she had time. But he didn't want to have another talk about his new vampirism whatever, so it was time to take that long walk home.</p><p>Not only that, but he knew she'd try to get him to bite her because she thought he needed the blood and he didn't want to deal with the memory of both her healing way too fast and the little psychic show she put on to find John's keys.</p><p>Fuck. Were both of the twins psychic? Weather did do weird things around John, but weather was weird <i>everywhere.</i> And on top of that, if they both healed really fast… well, drinking John and Jade's blood hadn't made them want any themselves, so either Karkat was lucky with that freak family tree he had, or they needed vampire blood in <i>them</i> to kick it off.</p><p>Karkat would die taking Vriska down before she could do that to them.</p><p>The thought made him shudder. Even now, he could remember how her piercings flashed in the firelight. He didn't know if it was some kind of hypnosis or if she had mind control powers or something, but he couldn't help but remember how his mind just…</p><p>This was going to be a very long walk.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>Was this the youngling? He was rather brazen out in the sunlight. Perhaps not as young as he thought… the sunlight didn't seem to bother him at all. The idea this was the vampire he was looking for, the one that would lead him back to the nest, did seem a bit preposterous. The energy he had during the day was not common. In fact, he would think it would be impossible to act how he did during the height of the day. But the eyes were unmistakable. No human had eyes like that. That shade of grey was not possible with human genes, and there was no telltale shadow of a contact lens around it.</p><p>Did he perhaps try to say he wore contacts, to hide how inhuman his face was?</p><p>Oh, and how pale he was. Even without those eyes, his pallor would be enough to know. A human that pale would be a corpse. How he hadn't realized that back then, before his throat was nearly torn out by one of these monsters, he could not even fathom.</p><p>It was quite amusing how much angry energy the fiend had. He could hear the vampire ranting quietly to himself, his hands gesturing angrily. It did make following him easier, as he just needed to listen for the ongoing spew of furious words.</p><p>And become more and more horrified as he realized the fiend was heading into a residential area. Did the nest reside among other humans? The ease these monsters could feed in such a situation had him reaching for the gun under his shoulder.</p><p>He'd continue following him long enough to know where the nest was.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>That bad feeling didn't go away. Jade paced for a bit, sat down on the couch, then got back up and paced more. The swish of her dress around her didn't soothe her at all, and only made her even more anxious. Karkat should have been home by now.</p><p>Maybe his car finally broke down. But wouldn't he call her if that was the case? He wouldn't- oh that silly fartbutt would totally walk home. She would have to remind him she was perfectly happy to pick him up! Maybe hug him until he agreed.</p><p>The urge to find him surged, and she slid her feet into her shoes before she could think twice about it. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. She didn't know what it was, but- it was like last night when John woke her up from the nightmare. Karkat was in danger.</p><p>Except he shouldn't be? Even if he walked home, they were in a pretty safe area of town! That didn't mean something couldn't have happened to him but it- Jade growled to herself a little. She hated this feeling.</p><p>She had just opened the door when she saw Karkat on the sidewalk. Without a word, she bounded down to him, hugging him tightly as he came into range. He was okay. Nothing had hurt him.</p><p>"Uh." Karkat awkwardly placed his hands on her waist. "Hi to you too, Jade. Is there a reason you decided to assault me with one of your massive hugs before I even got in the door?"</p><p>He was okay.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Jade let him go, smiling as she stepped back. "I was just worried you silly-"</p><p>A loud noise. A part of her recognized it as a gunshot, pistol. The sound wasn't right to be a rifle.</p><p>And blood covered her glasses.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I will need to draw Jade more often. She's way too much fun to draw.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Day 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span class="jade">GG: i think i stopped the bleeding but hes not waking up.</span><br/>
<span class="jade">GG: hes not drinking my blood.</span></p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>A hiss escaped his throat as he tried to keep his shoulder stable. It was a daft plan to attack the monster in a residential district, but upon seeing the young lass rushing out to meet him, the oh so <i>human</i> look on her face as she allowed her throat to get so close to the beast's fangs- he had to save her from that fate. The shot had gone a bit wide — he hadn't pierced the heart at all — but it dropped the beast before it could injure the girl. He had intended on ordering the lass back inside, though that came to a stop when next thing he knew, the girl had taken aim with a rifle.</p><p>He wasn't quite sure where the rifle had come from. Thankfully, she only fired one shot as he absconded before attending to the fallen beast. The shot had missed anything vital to life, but had still pierced his shoulder and perhaps shattered a few bones there.</p><p>And now he had a bleeding wound with an unknown nest of vampires around. From what he could tell, that vampire had perhaps been an outlier. He had very little interest in the humans around him as he walked, and he hadn't tapped into any vampiric abilities along the journey. From the almost overwhelmingly human way he acted, it almost appeared he had been raised human, but that could not be. How could he not realize his unnatural need for blood, and why would any human take in a monster of a child? And vampires did not age the same. Wouldn't that had been noticed? If he hadn't known better, he would say the beast may have been… turned.</p><p>But the turned were even worse than the beasts. They weren't even true vampires. Perhaps none of them had checked, but he had someone do a rather thorough autopsy on a turned. Little wonder they were uncontrollable. It must hurt like the dickens to feel the body slowly turn to goo. A swift death was all he could give the poor souls.</p><p>Oh, if only he could use that against the actual vampires.</p><p>But now he would have to consider how to get back to his motel room without raising alarm. The gunshots were most likely already reported, and there would be law enforcement searching for him. With the injured vampire, he was fairly sure the girl hadn't spoken with them and either had her hands full with him or had a body to hide.</p><p>Strange. The girl had seemed familiar…</p><p>He would ponder over that later. It was time instead to keep to the shadows, to hope the local law enforcement were not in the area nor would there be any innocents caught in the fray. He would worry about the blood loss once he was in his motel room.</p><p>A girl was up ahead. The jacket she wore around herself was a most fetching colour of blue, though it clashed a bit with the sling under it. He could make out a patch over one eye, but suddenly his attention was caught by the two piercings in her lip, the lovely blue colour of her lipstick, and that unnaturally blue eye, capturing everything and making the entire world fall away...</p><p>Then, a simple sentence, encompassing everything in a way he didn't want, fought-</p><p>"Take me home."</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>He was actually fighting it. Vriska frowned. Her sway over his mind wouldn't break, but it was unnerving to feel someone actually try to fight as he jerkily offered his uninjured arm to her. If it wasn't for the fact she knew Feferi was not hunting while she worked with her mother about something (it didn't matter much to her. Meenah was weird but had reasons for the weird shit she did), she wouldn't have bothered with this one. The scent of gunpowder hung heavy over him. Probably some lowlife thug, she thought. Got in a shootout and lost. Whatever. His blood smelled good. Clean. Feferi would like him, and no one would miss a goon.</p><p>He was incredibly warm. Something about him was familiar, but it didn't matter. She and Feferi would eat and it wouldn't matter who the corpse was at all after that.</p><p>She hadn't been aware of how freeing it was for her mother to be dead. It felt so good to have her life be <i>hers</i>. She thought she had freedom before? Not at aaaaaaaall. This was perfect. No worrying about feeding her mother, no worrying about how she was hunting, nothing!</p><p>Maybe she'd take a nibble. Just to take the edge off.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p><span class="jade">GG: i think hes dying.</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: not on my fucking watch</span><br/>
</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>Dave tapped the side of his leg after knocking, the scent of gunpowder and blood still in the air setting his nerves on edge. There was still a cop car a few houses down, talking to the mother and children about what they had seen. He was surprised that there wasn't one talking to Jade, but he never thought highly of the local law enforcement. Not rich? Yeah, if you got even a car coming by it was a miracle.</p><p>Not a bad thing, if he was honest. Living in a place where the cops took their jobs seriously had been way too hard to actually hunt and live. Plus, he didn't have to worry about one interrupting what was going to go down in a little bit.</p><p>Before he could follow that line of thought, the door was flung open, the smell of both Karkat and Jade's blood reaching his nose. Jade shifted so she could hold the towel against her wrist tighter, the fabric already turning crimson from the cut on her arm. "He's in the living room," she told him. "I couldn't take him farther."</p><p>"Alright." Dave shucked his coat off as he walked, letting it drop where it was. From what he could see, Karkat was definitely still breathing. He knelt, peeling the blood soaked shirt up. The wound had definitely closed, so Karkat had to be drinking at least a <i>little</i> of Jade's blood, even it was by reflex. Dave felt a chill as he saw how close to the heart it had been. He knew it could be possible they were just aiming for centre mass, but fuck. He'd have to let Dirk know.</p><p>He could see Karkat's tongue flicking against his bloody lips, taking in more of Jade's blood, so he was definitely trying. If Jade kept at it, he might have actually recovered. But he knew if Karkat was that badly hurt, killing Jade by accident was definitely a thing that could happen. Dave  instead raised his wrist to his mouth, ready to rip into the flesh and let it drip into Karkat's mouth, but-</p><p>No. No buts. Karkat's life meant more now. Dave's fangs ripped into his skin, and he pressed the bleeding limb to his mouth.</p><p>"I already tried that," Jade said behind him. "Does he need vampire blood because he's been hurt so much?"</p><p>Dave shook his head. "Nah. Any red hemoglobin would work. As long as it could slip down his throat it should be good." He knew more babbling was escaping his throat as he watched his blood drip out of Karkat's mouth. There was a tiny bit of suction, which told him Karkat was at least swallowing the blood, probably out of reflex.</p><p>Good. He kept his wrist to Karkat's mouth, watching his breathing. It was laboured, but he had also been fucking shot, so it was possible that was just pained breathing. He knew humans breathed differently when grievously hurt. All he could do right now was keep his wrist pressed to Karkat's mouth.</p><p>"Did you let Dirk know?" he asked, feeling another slight suction as Karkat swallowed.</p><p>"Yeah. He hasn't said anything. Ooh, I can't believe I missed!"</p><p>Jade sounded pissed. Good. Pissed was good.</p><p>Dave opened his mouth to say something when he felt a more rhythmic sucking. Almost like Karkat was actually- he was. He was actually drinking properly. It was weak, but it was there. "Alright there, little dude. Keep at it."</p><p>Jade threw herself to her knees next to him. "Karkat!"</p><p>"Yeah, he's drinking." Not strong, but it was there. "You might wanna get back." To Jade's credit, she didn't ask. She just nodded, standing again and stepping away.</p><p>And Dave just kept his wrist to Karkat's mouth. If that meant he was drained dry…</p><p>So be it.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>Dirk tried to ignore the push inside to find Vriska. He wasn't an elder. Her actions were not his responsibility. Whatever Aradia had planned, it wasn't any of his business. No matter what, he didn't have to seek Vriska out like he wanted to and shake some sense into her. He wasn't an elder.</p><p>Man, if this was what it meant to be an elder, he didn't even want to live long enough to see it. Maybe that was why people went to ground. These new urges sucked.</p><p>He needed to hunt.</p><p>No, that was the urge to find Vriska. It was-</p><p>Fuck it. It didn't matter. Just add another reason to hate himself onto the pile: Going to find Vriska and try to figure out why Aradia was here where her killer was. To be fair, Dirk thought, Vriska didn't actually land the killing blow. But she definitely was influencing who did.</p><p>He started walking, letting his legs take him. If he didn't find Vriska, that was okay. He wasn't an elder. Not an elder, and not her elder.</p><p>Once he smelled the blood, he didn't stop to think. His steps sped up, following the scent. He could just barely make out the familiar scents under it: Vriska's mixed with… Feferi's? Huh. He kept going, down an alley to be utterly unsurprised to see her pressing someone against the wall, her fangs deep in his throat.</p><p>Then surprise slammed hard into him as it registered who it was.</p><p>Vriska, to her credit, managed to pull her fangs free and leap away before Dirk's sword could even come close. "Man, Strider," she whined, licking blood off her blue painted lips. "You ruin everything." Before he could do anything, she waved a hand and turned, leaving.</p><p>He could follow her. He didn't know what Aradia had planned, and something inside him wanted to go after her instead of being alone with-</p><p>"Monster."</p><p>He turned, Vriska's victim glaring at him with such angry green eyes he never thought he'd see again.</p><p>It took a few tries to talk before he managed</p><p>"Jake."</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>"Oh. Hey. I didn't realize you could- well of course you could!" John laughed, shaking his head and looking at the ghost girl. She looked a lot more solid in the grocery store parking lot. He could barely see the empty lot behind her. "Jade wants to know your name. And if she can meet you!"</p><p>The girl smiled ever so slightly.</p><p>"Huh?" John frowned as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, blinking at the message left there.</p><p>
  <span class="rose">TT: Run.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Day 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Karkat had stopped sucking on his wrist. That would have worried Dave if it wasn't for the feeling of him breathing against him. Just that feeling, though, was so strange to him. Dave didn't have to inhale except to talk, since apparently vocal cords didn't work unless air was going through them. But to feel Karkat breathing steadily against him… it felt weird.</p>
<p>He turned to look at Jade, her own steady breathing holding just a hint of a snore. Blood still covered her face, something she had wanted to wash off before she suddenly fell over. It had worried him, almost making him let go of Karkat before he realized she was just sleeping. He had no fucking clue if that was normal. Probably wasn't, since the only times he had seen that before was when the human was extremely exhausted. He gently brushed a bit of her hair aside, wondering. She had said she missed her shot, but he hadn't seen her rifle anywhere near her when she answered the door.</p>
<p>Maybe she had put it away. But that still made him wonder. She had just… fallen over.</p>
<p>Unease settled in. John had once offhandedly mentioned Jade's narcolepsy, and how relieved he was she hadn't fallen asleep like that in years. Dave knew narcolepsy was a thing humans had, but something always felt off about it.</p>
<p>She was still splattered with Karkat's blood. A part of him wanted to lean forward and lick it off her face, but that would mean moving Karkat and he didn't want to do that. Not when he could feel a few errant swallows between the steady breaths.</p>
<p>"What are you?" he whispered to the air, not aiming it at anyone in particular.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>If had been there- what? Would whoever had shot Karkat shot him first? That would have been disastrous. In the need to heal that, he was pretty certain he would have killed one of them, drain them dry. And who knew what Karkat would have done. Killed the guy? He knew what kind of person Karkat was. He would have been guilt ridden until the day he died (? He had no idea how Karkat's natural life span would work) about killing someone. Let Dave kill him by offering his blood? He saw how Dirk's guilt over what happened with his last boyfriend still hung over him. If he had killed Karkat like how Dirk had almost killed Jake…</p>
<p>Dave shook his head. He wouldn't let himself hurt Karkat like that. Even if it meant never returning to this house. Move away. Leave with Dirk.</p>
<p>Movement by the door made Dave snap his gaze up, instinctually starting to bare his fangs before remembering in a human house, could be human police, and he needed to pretend.</p>
<p>Then his heart sank as the saw John. That wasn't a normal position. His body looked pulled up on strings, hands dangling uselessly by his side. He started to get up, then felt Karkat's hand reach up and grip his jeans. Damn it. "John," he called out, trying to work through the urge to stay with Karkat and the overwhelming need to go to his friend. Something was <i>wrong</i>.</p>
<p>"Dave…"</p>
<p>No. Something was very wrong. Karkat's hand fell away as Dave stood up, a noise escaping his lips that squeezed his heart. With a tiny burst of speed, just a little touch of it, he made it to John's side. Just as he reached out, John collapsed and standing there was-</p>
<p>The blur resolved slowly. First was the shapeless grey dress, deepening and darkening into a familiar mourning dress. She had always liked it for what it meant, Dave remembered. They had bonded over the dead, her delight in how humans mourned and his interest in how things changed in death. Her lips were as red as always, the shade of lipstick she had fallen in love with before he met her. Her eyes, though… blank. White. Not the rust shade that glinted with her bouncy smile before her death.</p>
<p>"Aradia…" He hadn't been there when her boyfriend, mind a puppet by Vriska, lead a village to her house and set it ablaze. He didn't need to be there. He knew when Dirk grabbed him and ran, leaving all their possessions behind as the mob turned towards the others.</p>
<p>Her name barely left his lips as she disappeared.</p>
<p>
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</p>
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<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Dirk watched as Jake finished dumping the bottle of holy water over his throat. Debridement, he thought. Cleaning the wound of everything that Vriska's saliva touched, even if it meant it would heal faster. Jake needed to go somewhere other than the alley. His own place, Dirk's place, just somewhere. "I didn't know you became a hunter," he finally said.</p>
<p>"Of course I would have, after what a monster like you did to me."</p>
<p>That pulled a wince from Dirk.</p>
<p>"Oh, don't you dare tell me you feel remorse! Poppycock."</p>
<p>Dirk winced again. "I was a bad influence in your life, Jake. Hell, look at this! You're hunting things far stronger than you. Vriska would have drained you dry and you wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. If I hadn't gotten involved with you, you'd still be safe."</p>
<p>"I wouldn't know of the danger lurking in the shadows, you mean." Jake glared at him, holding his hand out. Dirk gingerly handed over the gauze, watching Jake bandage the wound. "And you. It was bad enough when you were a strapping youth hiding your bloodlust. I should have killed you before you became an elder."</p>
<p>That made Dirk's brain stutter. "I'm not- Jake, I'm not an elder. I can't be. I would sooner let you shoot me before I became an elder."</p>
<p>"That can still be done."</p>
<p>Dirk couldn't be sure, he almost felt the hostility in Jake's voice was fading. "Yeah."</p>
<p>The two of them fell silent, then Jake said, "The lass left without a fight."</p>
<p>Vriska had. "That doesn't mean I'm an elder."</p>
<p>Silence again as Jake finished wrapping the wound. "I did love you," Dirk finally said. "I let it go too far. What happened to you was my fault. I should have cut it off when you first started to complain about me being smothering."</p>
<p>Jake didn't answer for a moment, then shook his head. "It's strange to see you like this," he said. "You act almost human." He started to put the gauze and holy water away, hiding it expertly away under his vest. "I would think you're not a monster with the way you act."</p>
<p>"I think about you a lot," Dirk told him, his voice quiet. "I could have killed you then." He shook his head. "If I had…"</p>
<p>Jake didn't answer. Then he looked back at Dirk. "Then why didn't you?"</p>
<p>"Because you were my friend."</p>
<p>He knew Jake didn't understand. He wished he did. The overwhelming feeling of being alone, hating himself more and more that he grabbed Dave and ran from their brother. Even if that man had been… He had been family. Another person in the world like him, who understood.</p>
<p>"I think I might understand."</p>
<p>Dirk blinked.</p>
<p>"Which is why I won't kill you right now, though I should." Jake took a deep breath. "It's strange to say but… though you nearly tore my throat out at an argument, I still miss you."</p>
<p>"I miss you too."</p>
<p>Jake nodded slightly. "Though if you are an elder, I won't hesitate."</p>
<p>"I'll offer you my katana if it comes to that."</p>
<p>He knew this was a one day thing, Jake being nice to him again. But still… he wanted to reach out and pull him close. To smell him again. To kiss him.</p>
<p>"You should get out of town. Vriska might come back."</p>
<p>
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</p>
<hr/>
<p>
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</p>
<p>"I don't know why Dirk's still here," Feferi told Vriska, leaning back in her seat. "I don't know if he's just stupid enough to stay here after an elder died or just stubborn. You said he saved the human you were eating?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, it was really weird." Vriska wiggled her fingers, frowning. She at least had some feeling back in her hand. Not enough to really do anything, she thought grumpily. Just enough to feel things. "He didn't have any reason to save him."</p>
<p>Feferi nodded, thinking. "Mother seems to think things are getting dangerous. She's been talking about moving."</p>
<p>A stab ran through Vriska at that. "No. You can't go. I'll protect you if I need to."</p>
<p>That made Feferi blink at her. "You're not an elder, Vriska."</p>
<p>"Oh fuck elders! You saw what it was like when we get too fucking old. And Meenah is just being dumb." Vriska glared at Feferi. "If that bitch was going to find you, she would have already. You don't need Meenah to keep you safe."</p>
<p>Feferi's hands clenched tight over Vriska's.</p>
<p>"I can kill Meenah too for you."</p>
<p>That made Feferi laugh as she stood. "Underwater combat's a lot different," she told her. "Anyway, Meenah isn't like Aranea. She doesn't deserve to die."</p>
<p>Vriska scoffed, but let herself be pressed back by Feferi. She looked up at her, resting her good hand on her hip. "You're acting like you're more than just the heiress. It's really hot."</p>
<p>"Mm." Feferi smiled, shifting to straddle Vriska's legs. "And even if Mother said we were moving, I wouldn't go without you."</p>
<p>"I think I love you." The words slipped past Vriska's lips.</p>
<p>That made Feferi pause. Then she smiled. "You idiot." She kissed her, pressing her fangs against her lower lip as Vriska returned it. "I can't believe you, Vriska Serket, 'think' you love me." Feferi murmured. " Of course you do."</p>
<p>Vriska laughed against her lips. "Hey, I don't know what the stupid human emotion feels like."</p>
<p>Feferi laughed in return, then slowly stood. Vriska watched, smiling a little as she stretched. "Well, you've eaten. I'm going to find someone to eat."</p>
<p>She waved a lazy hand, knowing she'd be back soon enough. And she had all kinds of plans once Feferi came back. Vriska grinned, standing as Feferi left. Oh, she had plans. Right now, though… she did kind of actually miss the lattes her mother would get her. Definitely time for some. That one place opened before dawn, she remembered. Perfect.</p>
<p>It was when she put her shoes on that she felt eyes on her. She turned, her good hand balling into a fist. No one she could <i>see</i>, but that meant nothing.</p>
<p>That was when the whispering started. Vriska twisted, something tightening her throat. There was nothing there. But she could feel someone looking at her. No, many people. The whispering was many voices, all indistinct despite her hearing.</p>
<p>"I see I taught you nothing."</p>
<p>Vriska whipped around, her eyes as wide as they could go. Her mother's voice rung in her ears, but she wasn't there. She was dead. She was <i>gone</i>!</p>
<p>The whispered continued, each voice now distinct, the voice of the dead, of those she killed. And then, one hollow whisper above the rest.</p>
<p>"You shouldn't have killed me."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Day 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blood. That was the first thing Karkat was aware of when he drifted awake. The sharp tang grabbed him, fighting against the tendrils of sleep trying to pull him back down. With more effort than it should have taken, he managed to open his eyes, trying to make sense of the blue in front of him. It looked familiar, but he couldn't say why. Carefully, he touched it, feeling soft… fabric this was the couch. Why was he laying down on the floor in front of the couch?</p>
<p>It hurt to sit up. His chest ached with every movement. But he could still smell blood and he didn't know why or where. Something twisted in his chest, something that felt incredibly like absolute terror and worry that something happened. He looked around when he finally got upright, horror choking him as he saw the trail of blood leading away from him. Karkat tried to stumble to his feet, reaching out to the couch to steady himself, stopping when he put his hand on someone. He looked over, nearly stumbling over himself to grab Jade's shoulders. "Jade!"</p>
<p>Her face was covered in so much blood…</p>
<p>And she didn't wake up, even when he shook her with all his (pathetic) strength. "Fuck! Come on. Jade, please…" He fumbled along her neck, reaching for her pulse. She was warm, almost <i>hot</i>, which was a good sign that she wasn't badly hurt. A better sign was the strong beat against his fingers and the steady breaths. She must have fallen asleep… covered in blood. Karkat shook her again, not sure if he was trembling from weakness or pure terror.</p>
<p>"Jade! Wake the fuck up! This isn't funny!"</p>
<p>Slowly, her eyes opened. "Karkat?"</p>
<p>He pulled her close, holding on as tightly as he could. "You're okay. You're okay."</p>
<p>"Yeah…" Jade murmured, absently hugging him back. "Did I fall asleep- Karkat!" Suddenly, she was wide awake. Without hesitation, she leaned back far enough to reach down and pull his shirt up.</p>
<p>Karkat snapped his hands down, grabbing her wrists. "Hey, whoa, I did not give permission for you to undress-" His shirt was sticking to his skin in a way that it shouldn't. Karkat looked down, seeing the dark shiny stain on his shirt, almost completely sure that was blood.</p>
<p>
  <i>Jade had bounded down the steps and hugged him, then the deafening sound and pain-</i>
</p>
<p>He let go of her wrists, letting her pull up his shirt, looking down as she did. His skin was stained with blood, but… The touch of her warm fingers across his chest made him shiver. "You don't even have a scar," she whispered. "And you're so cold."</p>
<p>Cold. Dave and Dirk were cold. He pressed fingers to his throat, seeking for a pulse, feeling something clench inside him at the beat. Relief? He hoped relief. He wasn't dead. His heart still beat.</p>
<p>"Jade, what do you see? What do I look like?" Karkat asked, lowering his hand from his neck.</p>
<p>She let go of his shirt, taking one of his hands into hers. "You look like a vampire."</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Dave rubbed one eye as he sat on John's bed, not wanting to leave his side after seeing what happened with Aradia (what had she done? What was she <i>going</i> to do?) in case something happened. But he needed to check on Karkat and Jade. John was sleeping, looking a little pale but otherwise good. He should be okay. Dave slowly stood, swaying slightly with the motion.</p>
<p>Too much blood lost, he thought. He hadn't fed anyone like that for so long… ever. The only time he could remember having lost even more blood was when-</p>
<p>Nope, not thinking about that monster that called himself their brother.</p>
<p>Dave slowly made his way down the stairs, trying to figure out how he was going to get someone to eat before things got really bad. His steps still seemed steady, so he probably didn't need to move so cautiously. Still. Stairs. He let himself smirk at the memory of putting the pencil in his right hand and making that masterpiece.</p>
<p>The smirk dropped once he descended far enough down. Karkat was awake, holding onto Jade tightly. Jade looked awake too, he hoped. If it had been a normal day, the scent of blood would tell him if he needed to worry about anything, but considering the trail from the doorway… So instead, he tapped into a small burst of speed, flash stepping to their side, ready to pull Karkat off her if things were really bad.</p>
<p>Instead, things were worse as Karkat looked up at him, irises the colour of blood. "Dave," Karkat whispered, his voice trembling. Dave instantly looked down, trying to see if he could catch the flash of fangs in his mouth.</p>
<p>Fuck. <i>Fuck</i>. He was so intent on saving Karkat's life that he fucking <i>forgot</i> that he wasn't like him. He only thought that Karkat needed blood like any other of his kind. His phone buzzed, a message, but he ignored it. Instead, he reached out, touching Karkat's face.</p>
<p>Still warmer than his own. If that even meant anything anymore.</p>
<p>His phone buzzed again, then again, and again. Finally, at the next buzz, Dave pulled his hand back, fishing it out.</p>
<p><span class="dirk">timaeusTestified [TT]</span> <span class="pesterlog">began pestering</span> <span class="dave">turntechGodhead [TG]</span></p>
<p><span class="dirk">TT: We have a hunter in town. Are you safe?</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Damn it, Dave. Answer your fucking phone.</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Dave, I mean it. Answer me.</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Where are you?</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Fuck, Dave, please don't be dead.</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: no im not dead geez</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: hunter explains some shit im seeing over here though</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Fuck, Dave. You get to get home.</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: dont bite off my head geez</span></p>
<p>"What's that frown about?" Jade asked, leaning over.</p>
<p>"Possible bad shit."</p>
<p>
  <span class="dave">TG: might be a bit late</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Damn it, Dave. Now isn't the time for this shit. Get the fuck home.</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: yeah except karkat was the one that fucking hunter found first</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Fuck.</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: most succinct way to put it</span>
</p>
<p>"No, really, asshole, why the fuck are you frowning?"</p>
<p>Dave looked up from his phone. "So, hunters exist. And one's in town."</p>
<p>Fear crossed Karkat's face as he understood, while Jade narrowed her eyes. "I shouldn't have missed," she growled.</p>
<p>Dave looked at her, thinking over what she just said and what he saw around him. He didn't think it was the time to ask, but fuck if there was ever going to be time. He felt his phone buzz in his hand, another message from Dirk, but instead he caught Jade's vivid green eyes. "So you shot him?"</p>
<p>"Yes," Jade said, her face turning puzzled. "I mean, yeah, but I missed."</p>
<p><span class="dirk">TT: That must have been what Jade messaged me about. Is Karkat okay?</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: is your definition of okay being shot in the chest sucking jade and my blood and now having blood red eyes</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: because its not mine</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: the hunter might be dealing with a huge problem because while jade missed she probably still hit something</span></p>
<p>"Did you completely miss or did you just not kill the asshole?"</p>
<p>"Um, I couldn't tell because of the blood. But I think I got him somewhere."</p>
<p><span class="dave">TG: yeah she hit something</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: That explains a few things. Jade keeps her rifle on her? That could be a good thing right now if the hunter knows about Karkat.</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: funny you should ask that</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: What do you mean by that?</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: she doesnt</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: What? Then how did she shoot him? Actually, you know what, no. Let's back up. What was that about Karkat? He drank your blood? Dave, what the fuck?</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: so about that hunter pretty fucked up shit huh</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Dave.</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: We'll talk about your fucking idiocy when you get home. Right now, is he okay?</span><br/>
<span class="dave">TG: funny you should ask that</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Goddamn it, Dave.</span></p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Damn it. Her mother might have been almost irreverent about how she talked about things, but Feferi couldn't deny Meenah had a point. Without another elder around, there was a lot of protection both Vriska and Feferi didn't have. And Vriska wasn't old enough to live on her own without an elder. Not with how wild she was.</p>
<p>She needed to leave Vriska. She needed to be safe if she were to take Her down someday. With everything that She had done, and the amount of others she had killed just… for herself, she needed to stay safe.</p>
<p>But a part of her didn't want to do it. Vriska was her friend- no, more than that. She loved Vriska. That was the feeling. She loved Vriska, like Vriska loved her.</p>
<p>But she couldn't stay. It wasn't safe. Not for her… and not for Vriska.</p>
<p>Feferi entered her house, and instantly felt something… off. Like there was something there, something whispering, but not. Her trident came to hand as she moved in further, watching. There was something but she couldn't <i>tell</i>. Further in- and there was Vriska, snarling at nothing. There had to be something there, Feferi decided. Even though there was nothing she could see, but if both of them felt something around them-</p>
<p>Then it stopped. Vriska's growling filled the silence, and there was only her, Feferi, and-</p>
<p>Aradia turned to her, looking as solid and real as she had when alive. If it wasn't for the pure white eyes, she would have looked alive, and not the ghost she clearly was. "Hello, Feferi."</p>
<p>Vriska whipped around, snarling. "You."</p>
<p>"You shouldn't have killed me."</p>
<p>"You were the one who tried to kill me first," Vriska spat in her face, pulling her fist back.</p>
<p>Aradia smiled slightly, her hand moving ever so slightly. Vriska slammed into one wall, then the other as Aradia shifted her hand the other direction. Feferi snarled, leaping at Aradia. She was going to make her stop, make her get the fuck out of there.</p>
<p>Only for her trident to go right through Aradia's body.</p>
<p>Aradia turned to her, shaking her head. "Your Highness, no matter how much power I have now, I'm still dead." Her head turned back to Vriska. "And she needs to pay for what she's done."</p>
<p>Needs to pay. Feferi knew what Vriska had done. Tavros, Terezi… she wasn't even sure Terezi was still alive after that blinding. But why now? Why had her spirit been trapped for so long only for this particular All Hallow's Eve to be the one she decided to take revenge. Then- "Mindfang. You were drawn here by an elder's death." When Aradia didn't answer, Feferi said, "You were drawn here by her death in particular because you knew Vriska would be here."</p>
<p>With a smile, Aradia just inclined her head, almost a nod.</p>
<p>Vriska laughed, the sound pained. "Okay. Whatever." Feferi looked over at her, seeing her hold her side. "You still only have Halloween to get it done and whatever you did will wear out before I die."</p>
<p>"I never said I wanted you dead." Aradia's hand flicked again, tossing Vriska into yet another wall. "I said I wanted you to pay."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You guys have no idea how hard <br/><span class="dave">TG: funny you should ask that</span><br/><span class="dirk">TT: Goddamn it, Dave.</span></p>
<p>made me laugh</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Day 8 - Halloween</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She wasn't lying. Unless Aradia decided to stake her or something, she wasn't going to die. Vriska stood unsteadily, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Her left arm was broken and <i>fuck</i> she had just started to get feeling back in that arm. "Heh. All you got, Megido?"</p>
<p>Aradia just flicked her hand again, and Vriska grit her teeth as she slammed into another wall. Feferi's place was so nice, she thought with a small growl. Couldn't the dead bitch do this somewhere else? Whatever. This would end pretty fast. She'd run out of energy soon enough so she couldn't do this psychic bullshit, Halloween or not. Just let Aradia get whatever 'make her pay' bullshit out of her system so she could at least get something done before the night was over. Who knew. Bitch might even stop being a ghost after getting revenge.</p>
<p>Vriska gasped as she felt something in her shoulder give as Aradia flicked her aside again. Shoulder injuries sucked, she thought. But she couldn't give up now and just stay down. That wasn't Vriska Serket. So she stood again, daring Aradia with a wild grin.</p>
<p>Oh, being flung into the ceiling was new. And the drop cracked something in her chest. Vriska spat out another mouthful of blood, slowly standing. It was starting to get harder and harder to stand. But she wasn't going to let Aradia win and just stay down. She knew Feferi wasn't going to help her, and she would have kicked Feferi's ass if she had tried. No, she just had to keep going.</p>
<p>Aradia wasn't going to win this battle.</p>
<p>
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<p>
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</p>
<p>A loud crash woke John. He slowly opened his eyes, groaning as it took all of his willpower to do so. Was he getting sick? The last time he felt like this was when he had the flu. But, he noticed he wasn't coughing or sneezing or have any congestion. He just felt… tired. Going back to sleep sounded like a good idea, and the bed under him felt particularly inviting. But if he really was sick, he thought, he probably should get some water. John sat up, using all of his energy to do so, noticing the wind outside was whistling intensely outside. There was another crash, outside. Probably a big branch, he thought. Blown down by the wind. He didn't think the weather was going to be so bad today.</p>
<p>John sat there for a moment, trying to get the energy to get up when he heard Jade's voice. "I don't understand," he could hear her say, confused. There was a moment, someone else talking he thought. Not Karkat. He would be able to hear both of them if that was the case. Someone quieter. "Well, yeah. I got my rifle. I might have been shot next!"</p>
<p>Someone had been shot?! John managed to stand, swaying slightly. The wind outside rattled the windows hard as he made his way to the door.</p>
<p>"Okay, but we're missing the big fucking question." Karkat's voice filled the air, and John frowned as he heard a slight quiver in his voice. Was he scared? "What are we going to do about this? There's apparently a fucking vampire hunter - by the way, thanks for the heads up these exist, asswipe - that's pretty fucking trigger happy and somehow could tell what the fuck I am. So what, are you going to go out there and kill the asshole?"</p>
<p>As John made his way to the stairs he could hear Dave's voice. "Well, usually Dirk and I would be fleeing the county," he drawled. "We don't have an elder, Karkat. Usually, an elder would take one on because hey, age brings strength, cunning, refinement, blah blah." He could imagine Dave waving at the air. "And if Aranea's dead, we can't even throw the hunter her way and watch the fireworks."</p>
<p>"So why don't you have an elder?" Jade asked as John started his way down the stairs.</p>
<p>Silence. Then Dave said, "that's a question for the third date," he finally said, a tense tone to the lazy drawl.</p>
<p>"Oh get off it, Strider. We've exchanged bodily fluids- Jade, don't get that look on your face - so I think we deserve to know why."</p>
<p>"It doesn't matter here." Wow, Dave sounded super serious. John put all his attention on each step, feeling like he was going to fall over at any moment. "There are a lot more things going on than just that. The ghost John's been seeing has a major vendetta against Vriska, so she probably took as much energy as she could from him to go take care of that."</p>
<p>Oh. Wow. Shit. Maybe he shouldn't have started talking to her.</p>
<p>"Is there anyone who doesn't have a vendetta against that bitch? And I hope she leaves something behind. Serket deserves more than a little haunting."</p>
<p>John managed to get low enough to see Dave shrug. "Depends on what she does. She- John!" The alarm in Dave's voice barely had time to be heard before he was at John's side. "Dude, I told you about those stairs."</p>
<p>"Heh." John smiled a little at him as wind knocked into the windows, rattling them with unsettling force.</p>
<p>"Strider. What did you do?"</p>
<p>There was actual fear in Karkat's voice. John looked over at him, trying to push Dave away. Karkat was covered in blood- there was a bloodstain from the doorway to him- Jade was covered in blood-</p>
<p>"Hey, whoa." Dave held onto him a little tighter, cold points on his arms, as he slowly led him down. "You really shouldn't even be up."</p>
<p>"I had to know what's going on. What the fuck happened?"</p>
<p>Dave looked at all of them, then shook his head. "Fine."</p>
<p>Karkat growled slightly, a purely animalistic sound. "Yeah. Stop hiding shit from us."</p>
<p>"It's less hiding and more that's not something I ever think is important." Dave led John to a chair, thankfully incredibly blood free. Dave sunk to the floor, running a hand through his hair as he crossed his legs. "I think I told Karkat once humans can be psychic. Just a thing that happens. It's pretty unremarkable when it happens. Someone's really good at figuring out complex orders at work, another person always knows when to bring an umbrella. Things like that. Same's true for about every other species. Dirk and I have super speed. That's not a thing our species has, just us. Vriska, for instance, doesn't have any but can compel people to do her bidding."</p>
<p>Karkat's eyes widened. "Her piercings."</p>
<p>"They make it easier, but she got them because they're called spider bites. She's a little spider obsessed." Dave shook his head. "Which is why I'm asking you where your rifle came from, Jade. I don't see it anywhere and you're not the type of person to put away your weapon before helping someone."</p>
<p>Jade just shook her head. "I-"</p>
<p>"Because that could be really useful with a hunter in town."</p>
<p>"I'm just really good at finding things! It's not- I'm not-"</p>
<p>Wind rattled the windows again as John listed to one side. He was so tired…</p>
<p>The next few words fell into a blur as he succumbed to sleep.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>A vampire hunter. Jade was as psychic as he thought she was. Dave-  Karkat shook his head. "Okay. Here's another good question: We don't have an elder here, right? So what's to stop the asshole or any other asshole from shooting me in the chest again and maybe actually killing me this time?"</p>
<p>Dave looked over at the sleeping John, his face thoughtful as the wind outside started to subside. Karkat felt his upper lip come up, a small growl starting. He needed to answer-</p>
<p>"Come with us."</p>
<p>Everyone except the sleeping John twisted to see Dirk leaning against the wall. Karkat bristled at the words. "And go through what I did before? I don't fucking thinks so."</p>
<p>"And I'm not letting him go," Jade chimed in.</p>
<p>"And you're not an elder," Dave said. "You can't keep him safe. Fuck, Dirk, you can barely keep me safe."</p>
<p>Dirk didn't move, but Karkat had the feeling he was looking at Dave behind those shades. "I took care of the hunter," he finally said. "We're safe for the moment. But when we go-" He hesitated here, then something strange entered his voice. "You're coming with us, Karkat."</p>
<p>The words made Dave surge to his feet. Karkat looked up, seeing his eyes wide behind the shades. And he had a feeling Dirk was keeping his gaze steady at Dave. "Oh fuck you," Dave finally hissed.</p>
<p>"Um…" Jade stood as well, looking at the both of them.</p>
<p>"Yeah. What the fuck?" Karkat didn't think he could stand, but he certainly tried. Weakness still pulled on his limbs, making it harder and harder to stay upright.</p>
<p>Dave only visibly tensed.</p>
<p>"Hey!" Karkat tried to grab his shoulders, only to overbalance. Dave easily caught him, face not turning away from Dirk.</p>
<p>"You can keep him safe," Dirk said, making even less sense.</p>
<p>Dave shifted his grip, pulling Karkat closer as if- well, if it was a little less shitty, it would almost feel protective and romantic, which would have felt really nice except this was fucked up in so many ways. He didn't say anything, but Karkat could feel his muscles almost quivering with how tense he was, and there was a set to his mouth and eyes that were… afraid?</p>
<p>"You're not that asshole," Dave finally said. "And we don't even know-"</p>
<p>Dirk shifted his weight.</p>
<p>Jade suddenly climbed over the back of the couch, more graceful than usual. She landed heavily like a dog like usual, but she rushed over to Dirk's side. She reached out, but Dirk brushed her hands aside. "You look like when Karkat-" she said quietly, not needing to say the last part. Karkat knew.</p>
<p>Dirk was planning on dying.</p>
<p>Dave held him tighter, and Karkat could now feel the fear in each movement.</p>
<p>"I won't put you through that again, Dave. And I refuse. If I'm really turning into an elder-"</p>
<p>"Fuck you!" Dave growled, emotion suddenly filling every word. "So your solution is to leave me alone? Because you're fucking scared?"</p>
<p>Karkat didn't know what to do. A part of him growled, clawed, needing to do something. To fix this. But at the same time… he was still so new to the entire fucking thing. "I don't fucking care if you're an elder or whatever," he finally said. "But this whole thing is bullshit. And trust me, if I think it's bullshit, Jade thinks it is too and she's fucking relentless about taking suicidal assholes and making them realize life is beautiful or whatever. Do you want to be on the other end of that? Really?"</p>
<p>That pulled a surprised laugh from Dirk.</p>
<p>"Plus, a lot of shit is going on right now." Man, Karkat was getting super tired all of a sudden. "And we shouldn't…"</p>
<p>Boy, Dave's shoulder was comfortable.</p>
<p>"We shouldn't be thinking about dying…"</p>
<p>Maybe just close his eyes.</p>
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<p>Dave shifted his grasp as Karkat fell asleep. He was surprised it too so long. Then again, he had heard from John about how little Karkat slept normally and the bags under his eyes supported that.</p>
<p>The idea of Dirk becoming an elder was definitely a little terrifying. He knew Dirk was nothing like Aranea or their own monster of a brother, but just being an elder was… different. If this was what broke him- no. Dirk wasn't going to die on him.</p>
<p>"I can't teach Karkat alone," he said quietly. "I can't keep him safe. Dirk, please. At least-" His hands tightened, pulling a soft noise from Karkat. "You won't be like our shithead brother. Please, Dirk."</p>
<p>Jade turned to him, her eyes wide at the naked pain in his voice. Then, back at Dirk. She pulled herself tall, putting her hands on her hips. "We can talk about this tomorrow," she said. "You guys are probably tired since it's day and all, and after everything I want to get some sleep too. So we're all going to sleep and talk about this later." She hesitated, then her eyes turned hard. "I'm not letting anyone else die on me."</p>
<p>Dirk just looked at her.</p>
<p>"So! We're going to figure out where everyone's going to sleep. And no, no one is sleeping down here where there's all this blood!"</p>
<p>"You're not going to win this one," Dave told Dirk, smirking. "Karkat's not kidding when he said she's relentless."</p>
<p>Finally, Dirk pushed himself off the wall. "Fine."</p>
<p>It wasn't over, Dave knew. But… first steps.</p>
<p>Fuck. He couldn't let Dirk die. He couldn't.</p>
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<p>Enough. Aradia lowered her hand, letting Vriska fall back to the ground. She didn't want to kill Vriska. She only wanted Vriska to pay. Pay for what she did to Tavros, to Terezi, to Aradia herself. She wasn't anywhere done paying, Aradia thought. But she wasn't going to die.</p>
<p>Not yet.</p>
<p>And after taking that handsome psychic's energy… she would have chances outside of All Hallow's Eve. For right now, she'd let Vriska heal. Then… she would pay.</p>
<p>She'd make her pay.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Day 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was cold. Frowning, he reached to pull the blankets up, only to be stopped by an arm wrapped around him. Huh. Why was someone in his bed? He reached up to touch the arm, trying to figure this out. There was some muscle there. His fingers ran across the arm, getting a good idea of the strength in those arms. The arm came up to a strong, if slim, shoulder. Under his fingers, the shoulder shifted, and now- now he could <i>smell.</i></p>
<p>There. That's it. That's where it was. He needed-</p>
<p>"Not while Dirk's in the room, dude," came a sleepy drawl. "Go back to sleep. It's too early in the day."</p>
<p>What?</p>
<p>"Shh. Beauty sleep."</p>
<p>"What the fuck?" he finally managed, words slurring together.</p>
<p>"Damn it, you're waking up."</p>
<p>Slowly his eyes opened. His mind took in everything first, the wall, floor, and shape of the person in front of him seeming disconnected and dizzying. Things started to piece together, and Karkat groaned. "Strider."</p>
<p>"First of his name, don't wear it out."</p>
<p>Okay, no, he was waking Dave up during the day on principle now. Karkat started to shift, now very aware of Dave's arm holding him down. "What the fuck? Let me up."</p>
<p>Dave's hand reached up, absently patting his cheek. "Shh. Sleep."</p>
<p>Suddenly nothing else mattered but the arm next to his face. Hunger lurched at his gut as his chest ached, <i>ached</i>, and he seized Dave's wrist. He could hear Dave let out a soft annoyed sound as Karkat bit, the skin holding firm until it popped, releasing blood into his mouth.</p>
<p>He knew the taste of vampire blood. Vriska had given him some laced with wine. Dave's blood tasted exactly like that. But somehow, now… it was <i>better</i>. A part of him started to wind up at that, shouting at him about vampires and his own fucked up family tree, and why this was a bad thing. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was the hunger crawling in his gut and Dave. <i>Dave.</i></p>
<p>"I meant it," he heard Dave murmur. "Dirk's in the room. Not going to give him a show."</p>
<p>Karkat had no idea what the hell Dave was talking about. All that mattered was easing the feeling inside him. Drinking as much as possible. The part of him screaming started shrieking, panicking. This wasn't right. But he needed this. He needed it. With a deeper bite, Karkat pulled his wrist in tighter, shifting his hips and- oh. Oh that felt good, Dave's erection on his. Karkat shifted again, a growl starting.</p>
<p>Dave groaned. "Goddamn it." The words were thick, husky, and Karkat could feel him start to thrust back.</p>
<p>A grumble made him stop, both his hips and drinking, and out of the corner of his eye he could see someone (Dirk, probably) standing. "First fucking thing in the morning," he heard Dirk grumble before he pulled the door open. "Can't a dude get some fucking sleep?"</p>
<p>Dave pulled his arm back from Karkat's now loose grip. "I said Dirk's in the room."</p>
<p>Karkat just groaned, slapping one hand over his face.</p>
<p>"Shh. Time for self-flagellation is later. Sleep now." Dave pulled him close, and Karkat felt an absent kiss on his forehead. "Shh," he heard as he started to fall back asleep, something pulling him down. "Give that delicious bod time to heal. Shh."</p>
<p>The words pulled him into sleep.</p>
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<p>"Fuck!" Vriska grit her teeth as Feferi set her arm. "That fucking bitch."</p>
<p>Feferi didn't answer, thinking. What was going on with Aradia? She had been so happy and bouncy in life. There was more than one time where Feferi would listen to Aradia chatter on and on about humans and their strange ways around death. She had been fascinated by the long dead and what had been left behind by past humans. Even in death, she hadn't sought out Vriska… ever. And the way she had addressed her…</p>
<p>It was Aradia. But.</p>
<p>"She had waited until Mindfang was killed," Feferi murmured to herself, then shook her head. "You're going to need blood."</p>
<p>"Yeah, no shit." Vriska spat another mouthful of blood out. "Ugh."</p>
<p>"Don't spit out more of your blood, idiot." Feferi grabbed the gauze, bopping Vriska's good arm with it. "How are your ribs?"</p>
<p>"Broken, but they'll be fine."</p>
<p>"Good." Something was wrong. "My mother's here. She's an elder. Why was it Mindfang…?"</p>
<p>"Gonna go talk to Meenah again?" Vriska tilted her head, a frown creasing her face as well. "Yeah, something was up with Megido.'</p>
<p>Feferi nodded. "This is really weird."</p>
<p>"Yeah." Vriska winced, stretching a little. "Maybe I should go with you. I want to know what Meenah says too." Her eye narrowed. "I need to know what's going on with Megido."</p>
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<p>Dirk stared at the cup Jade was holding out. "Coffee," he repeated.</p>
<p>She beamed at him. "Nice and hot too!"</p>
<p>"Coffee." Caffeine worked as a stimulant for humans, he remembered. He took the cup and leaned up against the counter, taking a small sip. Immediately he wrinkled his nose at the taste. Before he could open his mouth to ask, Jade was already passing the sugar bowl to him. Dirk poured several spoonfuls in, taking another sip. Much better.</p>
<p>Jade made a face, but shook her head. "Dirk… what's going on? With you, Karkat, John, me… what's going on?"</p>
<p>Dirk looked down at the mug. "I don't know," he admitted. "I would guess you are psychic. It sounds like you have a way of manipulating space. John might be as well. I can't say for sure. But everything else, what Aradia wanted with John or what Karkat and I are, I have no idea."</p>
<p>"Huh." Jade poured her own mug, added much less sugar and a little cream to hers. "Why are you so afraid of being an elder? Isn't that a good thing?"</p>
<p>"It's more than that." Fuck, it was too early in the evening for this. "Becoming an elder can…" This was going to be hard. "It can be a good thing. There's a lot that comes with being an elder. A lot of power. But that comes at a price. New hungers. They're usually needing to eat other of our kind, usually the very young or turned. And…"</p>
<p>"And…?"</p>
<p>"Aranea wasn't always like that," he told her quietly. "Elders change. Often for the worse."</p>
<p>"Worse… how?"</p>
<p>How. How can they be worse. Dirk hesitated, closing his eyes briefly before looking into her bright green ones. "I knew someone before he became an elder. He was kind. Strong. When he started to turn into an elder he got… abusive. He would withhold hunting and eating unless we proved we're worth it, usually through combat. He'd ambush us randomly, sometimes leaving us barely alive."</p>
<p>Jade gasped, a hand to her mouth. "And you think that's what's going to happen to you."</p>
<p>Dirk nodded.</p>
<p>"Hm." Jade took a slow sip of her coffee. Then, she put the mug down and thrust a finger in his face. "That's still not a reason to kill yourself, buster! Just because these people have become assholes doesn't mean you will too."</p>
<p>Now he understood what Karkat meant. "Uh."</p>
<p>"And…" She lowered her hand. "Dave and Karkat are going to need someone like you."</p>
<p>Karkat. "I don't even know what Karkat is," he confessed. "His ancestor, Kankri Vantas, is known to us as the Signless. We don't know who his parents are. He just… showed up, one of us. And I don't know if it's because it's a mutation from human, or if… fuck, I don't know. Something that makes one of us seem human."</p>
<p>"Isn't there… a vampire scientist you can take him to or something? A geneticist?"</p>
<p>Dirk shook his head. "I don't know anyone, personally." His phone buzzed on the counter between them. He frowned at it, deciding against picking it up. It was probably just work. "It doesn't mean we're not scientists, just that I don't have anyone I can personally ask."</p>
<p>Jade looked down as his phone buzzed again. "And I can't exactly ask my old professors about that," she said. "I know a few of them have friends in the genetics field, but I can't exactly assume they know vampires are real."</p>
<p>"Yeah." Okay, who was messaging him.</p>
<p><span class="roxy">tipsyGnostalgic [TG]</span> <span class="pesterlog">began pestering</span> <span class="dirk">timaeusTestified [TT]</span></p>
<p><span class="roxy">TG: di stri omg jsut text me already</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: *just</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: rose's tellin me ur gonna need me and my mad skills so u better text me</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: also something about a karkat. what's a karkat?</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: diiiiiiirk</span></p>
<p>"Roxy. Of course."</p>
<p>"Um."</p>
<p><span class="dirk">TT: I take it Rose did some seer things and told you I needed help.</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: YES. she won't shut up about it omg</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: blah blah dirk needs your help blah blah do your wicked mad skills on karkat blah lbah vampire bs all that. got real weird on me</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: i think the seer thing is hitting her hard tonight</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: hope she's okay</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: ANYWAY. you ahven't been by since i graduated. girl gerts lonely without her bff around</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: *havent</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: *gets</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: plus if some really wierd vampire science shit is going down i'm tots the girl for the job</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: I'm sorry. I should have stopped by before now.</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: well stop being sorry and come visit omg. get u and ur brother's asses in gear</span></p>
<p>"Dirk, who's Roxy?"</p>
<p>He lowered his phone briefly to look up at Jade, knowing a small smile was resting on his lips. "Someone I know in New York." More than that, but after Jake… having friends felt a little dangerous. "I haven't seen her since…" He shook his head. "It's a long and personal story, and I'm not ready to talk about that. But she knows about us, and a seer told her to contact me."</p>
<p>Jade frowned. "A seer? Like… future telling and all that?"</p>
<p>"Easiest way to put it, yes. And I think she's who we need."</p>
<p><span class="dirk">TT: Fine. I'm searching for plane tickets as we speak.</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: *type</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: I am actually really sorry, Roxy.</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: i know. not your fault, tho. lotta shit went down after that incident</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Dave, Karkat, and I can be there tomorrow evening.</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: perfect. i'll meet u at the airport</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Please don't drive drunk just to meet us at the airport.</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: two months sober!!!!</span><br/>
<span class="roxy">TG: missed ya, di stri. see u soon</span><br/>
<span class="dirk">TT: Missed you too.</span></p>
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<p>"We're doing what the fuck, going where the fuck, and when the fuck?"</p>
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<p>Not here. Not.</p>
<p>Here.</p>
<p>Close. Close.</p>
<p>Blood. Human.</p>
<p>Find. Find them. Find him.</p>
<p>Find. Family.</p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You're welcome for the nightmare fuel.</p>
<p>And thus ends Dark of the Day, with a nice little sequel hook at the end. Thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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